Umatilla County changes vaccine sites; Safeways receive vaccine, doubling supply
Published 2:00 pm Friday, February 12, 2021
- Registered nurse Kori Hibbard prepares to administer a dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to Kari Ferguson, a secretary at Gib Olinger Elementary School in Milton-Freewater, during a vaccination clinic at the Pendleton Convention Center on Jan. 28, 2021.
UMATILLA COUNTY — The Umatilla County Health Department announced plans to hold future drive-thru COVID-19 vaccination clinics at a new site in Pendleton as residents over the age of 75 become eligible to receive the vaccine on Monday, Feb. 15.
The health department will be holding its first vaccine clinic at 2260 S.E. Court Ave., the former home of Gilbert Auto, on Friday, Feb. 19. The department has moved all future vaccine clinics from the Pendleton Convention Center to the new location due to the possibility of future inclement weather, according to health officials.
“Obviously, we don’t know what the weather is going to do,” Joe Fiumara, the county’s public health director, said. “The move in location is to make it so we can better withstand some of this weather. But obviously, road conditions are going to” potentially impact future events.
In addition, local Safeways in Pendleton, Hermiston and Milton-Freewater are now offering the vaccine after receiving shipments from the federal government’s Federal Pharmacy Partnership on Thursday, Feb. 11, according to Fiumara.
Each Safeway has received from the federal government a box with 100 doses of the vaccine, Fiumara said, effectively doubling the county’s expected allocation.
Fiumara said the county is expecting that 100 doses will be provided to local Safeways from the federal government each week.
“Again, 600 is not nearly enough, but it’s a lot better than 300, which is all we had received.” he said.
At the drive-thru clinic, health officials will be vaccinating people who received their first dose of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine on or before Jan. 22. Officials will also be vaccinating people with first doses, though supply will be limited.
“We’re only going to have a couple hundred (first) doses to give,” Fiumara said. “Most of what happens at the drive-thru is going to be second doses from four weeks ago.”
People who are eligible to receive the vaccine are encouraged to select an arrival window online at bit.ly/ucohealthcovidvaccine. Fiumara said the new online tool is intended to prevent delays and speed up vaccinations.
Residents who wish to be vaccinated at Safeway can schedule appointments at www.safeway.com/COVID-19.
